Method op slicking hides



Feb. 21, 1928;

w. c. WRIGHT METHOD OF SLICKING HIDES led March 14, 1927 ii. (Z. W, mm

Patented F eb. 21, 1928.

UNITEDTSTATES PATENT oFFlcE.

WALLACE o. WRIGHT, or BBOOKI'IELD, NEW nanrsnmanssrenon '10 HARDING EN- emnnnme oomrnny, 01 EAST BOSTON, nassnonosn'rrs- A oonronn'rxon' or messncnusnrirs.

mn'rnon or snrcxme RIDES.

Application filed Iarch 14, 1927. Serial No. 175,199.

My present invention relates to the man-l ufacture of leather and more particularl to an improved method of slicking hides uring the. process of manufacture thereof.

In the manufacture of leather from hides or skins as practiced at the present day, attempts are being constantly made to produce leather with a smooth outer surface and in thus attempting to produce leather of this character, various schemes have been suggested for smoothing out the hide or skin while wet and maintain it in a smoothed out condition until the hide or skin has dried. It has been found that in doing this, that unless the hide or skin is thoroughly smoothed out, that bubbles or. soft places in the hide or skin will occurand it appears tobe impossible to remove such soft spots in subsequent operations. The operation of smoothin out the hideor skin while in a wet condition is known as slicking, and while advantageous, is of no avail unless it can be produced cheaply enough.

As heretofore roduced, the slickingoperation is essentia 1y a hand operation and, as great strength is required in smoothing or slicking out the hide or skins, it is a laborious operation and, therefore, necessarily a slow one.

In my present invention I have devised a" method of slicking hides or skins which will materially expedite the performance of the operation to such an extent that it may be economically practiced and by substituting a slicking or smoothing out machine, such as is described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 190,748, filed May 12, 1927, I am enabled to dispense with the usual manuallabor employed at this point and find that the slicklng machine does a better job in less time and at considerable less cost than it has heretofore been possible to do.

The object of my invention, therefore, is'

Referring to the drawing, therefore, 10

designates generally a' so-called putting out machine having as an integral part thereof endless chain conveyors 11 spaced apart from each other and having at the exit end thereof an inclined delivery table 12. Be-

" low the delivery table is an endless belt conveyor 13 which inclines forwardly and upwardly with the upper reach'thereof moving in the direction of the arrow shown. The endless cha'm conveyors 11- of the putting out machine 10 will transport a hide or skin 14 through the putting out machine and deliver the same onto the inclined delivery board 12, from which the hide or skin 14 will drop onto-the conveyor 13 and by means of which it is transported upwardly and forwardly. At the delivery end of the endless conveyor 13 is placed a roll 15 which dips into a pan or vat 16 carrying aste or other adhesive in liquid or semi-liqui form, means being supplied as electric heat throu h the conductor 17 for maintaining the a esive in the pan 16 at the proper temperature. Beneath the roll 15 and also beneath the pan 16 is located an endless conveyor 18, the upper surface of which moves in the direction of thearrow shown, and adjacent the delivery end of the conveyor 18 is a work-table or platform 19- of a slicking ma chine, preferably similar in character to the slicking machine described and claimed in my co-pending application above referred to.

Adjacent to and at one side of the endless conveyor 18 is a table or platform 20, on which is or may be mounted a plurality of cardboards 21 on which it is desired to slick or place the hides or skins 14. An operator stands between the platform 20 and the conveyor 18 and grasping one of the cardboards '21, places such cardboard .under the pan 16 and on the endless conveyor 18 in /such a position that the hide or skin 14 will be properl positioned on the cardboard 21, as the en less conveyor 18 moves onward and as the roll 15 rotates, it being, assumed that the surface speed of-ethe roll 15 is approximately equal to the surface speed of the endless conveyor 18. It is to be understood, of course, that the roll 15 in. its rotation in the pan 16 will be covered with a layer of adhesive, which layer of adhesive will be transferred to the hide or skin 14 as the same passes therethrough. It will be ob- ,form 19 of the slicking machine. erator stands at the slicking machine and vious therefore, that as the endless conveyor 18 moves and the roll 15 rotates, that'the hide or skin 14 appearing in the drawin wlll be positioned on the cardboard 21 an Wlll, in due course, be delivered to the base or plat- An opproperlypositions the cardboard 21 with the hide or skin 14 thereon under a plurality of radially movable slicking arms 22 each carrying a slicking blade or knife 23. The ac-.

tlon of the slicking arms 22 and slicking blades 23 is practically automatic or may be made so by rope-r manipulation of the circuits control ing the operating motor 24 for the arms 22, and after the slicking operation has been performed, the operator slides the cardboard 21 with the slicked hide 14 thereon onto an endless conveyor 25, which delivers it to any convenient point where it may be hung up and dried, or, preferably further operations performed thereon prior to the drying operation.

7 ing operation and then placing the hide or skin in osition to be operated on by the slicking lades 23, that the operation of slicking is greatly facilitated and the operation may be performed by the ordinary workman as distinguished from the extremely strong workman who was the only person who could heretofore perform this useful cperation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. That improved process of slicking hides which consists in moving a hide or skin onward as a single sheet, simultaneously placing thereunder while moving at the same speed a slicking board. slicking the hide on the slicking board while thus positioned and then drying the hides.

2. That improved process of slieking hides or skins which consists in feeding a hide or skin forwardly, applying an adhesive to the hide or skin during its forward motion, positioning a slicking board with respect to the hide or skin and moving the same forwardly at the same speed to receive the hide or skin, slicking the hide while thus positioned on the sheking board and moving the same forward to a dryer.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALLACE G. WRIGHT. 

